Actions speak louder than words
by the frozen cherry
Summary: ...or five times people tried to work out and speculated upon Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff's relationship and the one time they found out the truth.
1. Dr Bruce Banner

**Actions speak louder than words...**

**...or five times people tried to work out and speculated upon Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff's relationship and the one time they found out the truth.**

**I know this type of story has been done a million times before but I wanted to have a go. I hope you enjoy it!**

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**Dr Bruce Banner**

It is when he is subconsciously checking over his new team mates for any signs of injury, as they all sat around a large table, piled up with food at the Shawarma restaurant Tony had dragged them to, that he first noticed the interactions between the two master assassins sitting opposite him. To be quite fair, he had not really been introduced to Agent Barton properly, having been in his hulk form during the battle and away from the helicarrier when the archer was removed from Loki's mind control, so did not know him that well. They had only exchanged a quick hello as Tony ushered them into the restaurant which seemed to be relatively unscathed after the battle.

Now he had noticed the interactions between Agents Romanoff and Barton, he couldn't stop, everyone else was tucking to their food with gusto, but they were just sitting there staring at each other, like they were having some form of silent conversation. He could already see the differences between the Russian Agent who had caught up with him in India and the woman picking at her food in front of him. It wasn't that she was now covered in various cuts and looking battle weary, her complete demeanor had changed. It no longer looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders and there was a spark in her once dull green eyes, something the Doctor assumed to be attributed to the fact that she now had her partner back by her side.

When the archer had been under the Norse God's mind control, Agent Romanoff had not really spoken much about her compromised partner, but Bruce could tell from the way that they interacted, that they were more than just work partners. He was a doctor and living and working in foreign countries, where he did not speak the language, meant that he had become quite good a reading people's body language and the interactions between the hinted that there was something deeper.

The way the red head had patted the seat she sat on so Barton could rest his leg on it and produced a book, seemingly out of nowhere for the archer to read. The way that their gaze on each other and lingered just slightly longer than normal when their hands had touched as she passed him the salt and instead of batting his hand away, as she would've undoubtedly done if it had been another member of the team, as he reached over to pinch some of her food, she just pushed her plate closer to him.

As if noticing the doctor's gaze upon her, Natasha looked up at Bruce and gave him one of her trademark glares before turning her attention back to her partner and giving his leg a comforting squeeze. The doctor, in return, just gave her a sheepish smile, before returning his attention to his food and trying to stop the sleepy captain America falling into his. He knew that whilst he was the first to notice the special relationship between the Black Widow and Hawkeye, he wouldn't be the last.


	2. Tony Stark and Pepper Potts

**Actions speak louder than words...**

**...or five times people tried to work out and speculated upon Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff's relationship and the one time they found out the truth.**

**I am absolutely overwhelmed by the response this little story has received. Thank you all so much, everyone who has alerted, added to favourites or reviewed, it means so much to me and I would love to know what you make of this chapter! :)  
**

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**Tony Stark and Pepper Potts**

'God Tony, never do anything like that to me again!' Pepper Potts exclaimed as she entered her boyfriend's room near the top of the semi destroyed tower 'I thought you had died!'

'Well if you answered your phone, you would know that I was alright' Tony replied. 'Oh come here' he gestured, noticing how upset the strawberry blonde was and he pulled Pepper into a hug. 'I'm fine, just a little sore from falling tens of thousands of feet whilst saving the whole of humanity' he stated, with his customary cocky grin plastered onto his face.

'So why aren't you resting?' Pepper asked, sitting down next to Tony on the super king sized bed, as Tony picked up the tablet he had been looking at 'you should be resting'

'I was trying to work out how much damage Stark tower has sustained-'

'How bad is it?' Pepper interjected

'Well it could be worse considering a rampant green rage monster decided our upstairs seating area and bar was the best place to smash a mischievous god' Tony replied ' and I was also making sure that my friends had settled into their quarters ok'

'Tony, you don't have friends' Pepper said

'Of course I do Pepper' Tony replied with mock anguish 'I have lots of friends'

Pepper gave her boyfriend a questioning look, raising one eyebrow as if to challenge him to defend his statement.

'Well I have you and Happy and Rhodey and...um...I have...I have JARVIS!' he finished triumphantly

'Tony sweetie, you just admitting that your A.I is one of your only friends, just shows that you don't have many. Besides how come you suddenly consider these members of the Avengers Initiative friends, all of a sudden?'

'Well it turns out that saving the entire world from a Norse god with a couple of screws loose and an alien invasion is quite a bonding experience'

'And now you're spying on them'

'No, I'm making sure, in my role as the host, that they have settled in ok'

'You're spying on them'

'Are not'

'Are too'

'Are not, I mean look' and Tony pushed the tablet towards Pepper and flicked through various images of Captain America, Dr Banner and a snoring Thor, all tucked up asleep 'I'm just checking that they are all alright'. Then he flicked on to the next image, which to his surprised showed an empty room 'JARVIS where is Agent Barton' Tony asked upon discovering that the archer was not in the room he had showed him to.

'I believe sir, that Agent Barton is currently with Agent Romanoff in her room' the A.I replied, as the tablet Tony was holding flickered to show recordings of the two master assassins.

'Tony do you really need to be watching this- wait is that?' Pepper asked looking closely at the screen

'Natasha Romanoff who infiltrated Stark Industries last year' Tony said, finishing off his girlfriend's statement.

'And she's part of the Avengers?'

'She's deadly' Tony replied as if that was the main reason for her membership of the team 'and mad'

'Tony you need to go to sleep' Pepper insisted trying to tug the computer tablet away from her boyfriend, with no success.

'But Pepper, don't you want to know what's going on?' Tony whined

Pepper had to admit that she was curious. She had been hurt when she had discovered that she had been lied to by Natalie, who had turned out to be a spy and she had felt like the red haired woman had manipulated her. She also remembered what Happy had told her, after she had asked about how they had managed to get into Hammer's headquarters. The chauffer-come-bodyguard had told her, with a mixture of awe and shock, how her innocent looking PA had taken out most of Hammer's men, without breaking into a sweat, in the time it had taken him to knock out one man.

'What is she saying to him?' Tony asked, turning up the volume

'Well it's not in English' Pepper stated

'Sir, I think you'll find that Agent Romanoff is speaking in Russian' JARVIS helpfully chimed in.

Pepper and Tony watched with avid curiosity as the red head made her partner lie face down on the bed before she pulled out what seemed to be a fairly extensive first aid kit and started to patch up Clint's wounds, showing a side to her, that neither Tony nor Pepper had seen before. Displaying such tenderness, Natasha extracted, what seemed liked pieces of glass from Clint's back, before cleaning the wounds and stitching them up. Tony did not know whether to be impressed that she could do this type of surgery so expertly, or horrified that she had had to learn how to do it by herself in the first place.

He had seen how the red haired agent had looked at her partner over their meal and on their way back to the tower and he had also noticed that every so often, Barton would give Romanoff's hand a little squeeze, as if to reassure his partner that he was still there. He couple sense that there was something going on between the assassins, they were not just partners and he was determined to find out, because he was noisy, the true extent of their relationship because they were definitely sleeping together.

The couple then watched as the pair of assassins changed places so Agent Barton could attend to his partner's injuries. However, whilst Tony was getting excited about seeing the rather curvaceous Natasha Romanoff in a state of undress and Pepper working out ways to pry her boyfriend away from the tablet, before they saw anything that they shouldn't, Barton seemed to whisper a couple of things into Natasha ear and her facial expression turned from one of serene calm to cold anger. Stealthily she moved around the room, and before either Tony or Pepper could work out what was going on, the screen went black.

'What just happened JARVIS?' Tony asked, pressing various buttons furiously.

'I believe Agent Romanoff just threw a knife right at the camera'


	3. Thor

**Actions speak louder than words...**

**...or five times people tried to work out and speculated upon Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff's relationship and the one time they found out the truth.**

**Because this one is so short, I thought I would also upload it today. I found this one quite hard to write and I'm not sure I captured the way Thor speaks/thinks quite right. Anyway once again thank you to everyone for the fabulous response to the last chapter, especially the five special people who reviewed. It means a lot to me!  
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**:)  
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**Thor**

There was definitely a bond between the Lady Natasha and the Hawk, though whether the bond between them was like the one he had with the Lady Jane, he did not know.

As he got ready to return to Asgard with Loki, so his brother could face justice, he noticed how the two partners stood next to each other. Closer than they would if they were just team mates, but not close enough to be asked questions about their relationship. He also noticed the way they would smile sheepishly at each other every time they accidently touched and the way they seemed to be having a silent conversation through subtle glances.

Thor remembered that there first person Barton had asked for, when he had picked the archer up off the floor from the window he had crashed through, had been Natasha and then, when they arrived at the top of Stark tower to confront Loki, Thor had seen out of the corner of his eye, saw the way both of the agents seemed to visibly relax when they were in each other's presence. Thor had actually found it quite amazing that a woman, who fought as bravely as the Lady Sif, could change her emotions so quickly.

He felt partly responsible for what had happened to the archer; Loki was his brother, but he knew from the way the man had smiled, the corners of his eyes creasing up behind the sunglasses he was wearing, as his red haired partner had whispered something under her breath, that the Hawk was in good hands and the partners could recover together.

He knew that the Lady Natasha had told her brother that love was only for children and the only reason that she wanted Barton back was because she owed him a debt, but it was clear to see that it was more than a debt that was keeping them together. What, he wondered as he took off into the sky, was whether they realised that yet.


	4. Captain Steve Rogers

**Actions speak louder than words...**

**...or five times people tried to work out and speculated upon Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff's relationship and the one time they found out the truth.**

**Once again thank you to everyone who is following this story, when I woke up this morning and checked my inbox and saw how many people had either alerted or added this story to their favourites, I almost fell off my chair! I really hope you enjoy this chapter! :)  
**

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**Captain Steve Rogers**

It was now three months since the Avengers has defeated Loki and Director Fury had decided that it would be better that they all stayed together in the newly rebuilt Stark Tower. Steve had only moved in two weeks ago, after he had finished his reminiscing road trip, to find that Dr Banner had not left, having been enticed by all the technology Stark had on offer, Thor was still taking care of matters on Asgard and both Barton and Romanoff had moved into the rooms right at the top of the tower.

He was still getting used to not living in the 1940s, having not only to learn to deal with modern technology, but also to understand modern cultural references. Tony had decided to take it upon himself to educate him and had therefore declared Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sunday nights were film nights and the whole teams attendance was mandatory. However it always seemed that the two master assassins managed to get out of most of them, citing everything, from having to do paperwork for Fury to missions and sparring practise. But it was only at these movie nights that the rest of the team saw the reclusive agents, who seemed to spend most of their time by themselves at the top of the tower.

Steve, bored from trying to work out how to work the smart phone Stark has given him, headed towards the training room, planning to take his frustration out on a punching bag. He was about to enter the specially designed room, when he noticed that it was already occupied. He was about to turn around when he caught sight of a target whose bulls eye was not only peppered with arrows but also with various types of knife and then he spotted Romanoff and Barton sparring with each out on the practise mats. Telling himself that it was his duty as the unofficial leader of the Avengers observe his teammates, so he knew their capabilities in battle, Steve remained rooted to the spot outside the training room, peering through the window into the room.

He watching in unconcealed awe as the two partners fought each other. It was like an incredibly complicated choreographed dance, the way that they exchanged punches, both not making it easy for the other. Natasha was moving with great grace and flexibility, but Clint matched her with greater force and speed. Steve could barely believe what he was seeing as the two assassins continued to dodge each other's punches and kicks.

The intense fighting continued for what Steve thought was an impressive twenty minutes before it showed any signs of stopping. Clint, with his super sharp reflexes, managed to catch Natasha's leg as she aimed it as a high kick towards his head and flipped his red haired partner to the ground. The he did something Steve did not expect. Clint held out his hand, in an almost chivalrous manner, in order to help his partner up, but instead of standing up Natasha grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him down next to her.

Steve tried to walk away as the two started to roll around on the sparring mat, not wanting to see something his 1940s mind shouldn't, however it was the sound of Natasha's laughter and the big grin on Clint's face, which kept him rooted to the spot. Even when they had been forced to watch a comedy on movie night, he had never seen the two partners look so happy. Steve watched as Natasha rolled on top of Clint and whispered something into his ear, before standing up. Clint gave a small smile, before he too stood up.

The Captain knew he was bigger and stronger than these two assassins, but after watching them fight, he knew that the two of them against him, which would undoubtedly happen if they discovered that he had been watching them, would only end with his defeat or untimely demise. So when it looked like they were about to head towards the door, Steve ran down the corridor to hide in one of the weapon storage cupboards. However when he realised that no one had passed his hiding place, he cautiously walked back towards the training room.

Watching the assassins this morning had shown him that there were more sides to them, than the cold emotionless exterior they liked to portray to the rest of the world, but he was still surprised to see that the two assassins were back on the sparring mats, but instead of fighting, this time they were dancing. Steve watched as Clint led Natasha around the mats expertly, in a slow dance. There was no music playing, but they moved in sync, spinning and twirling around the floor, as if they were lost in their own little world.

It brought a lump to Steve's throat as he watched them. It was just like the fantasies he dreamt of every night, of him and Peggy having the dance he had promised her. He knew that Tony crudely thought that the two partners were sleeping together, but having witnessed the way they looked deeply into each other's eyes as they swayed back and forth, there was no denying that they were in love.

As the dancing slowed to a stop, Steve wiped away a small tear. The partners continued to hold each other closely, their foreheads pressed together, their noses almost touching, their lips almost meeting and that he was when finally walked away from the window looking into the training room. Whatever was going on between the two assassins was private and unlike some of his teammates he was not going to pry any further.


	5. Agent Phil Coulson

**Actions speak louder than words...**

**...or five times people tried to work out and speculated upon Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff's relationship and the one time they found out the truth.**

**Thank you, thank you all once again. I can't believe this story has over 20 reviews! I was expecting a couple, but not that many!**

**I really hope you enjoy this chapter, which is obviously set pre-Avengers. Please let me know what you make of it and next chapter, you and the rest of the Avengers will find out the truth (though, to be perfectly honest you can probably guess!)  
:)**

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**Agent Phil Coulson**

Agent Coulson looked over the mission report he was reading and gazed down the long glass conference table to look at the two agents sitting at the other end, their heads bent close together. They were Barton and Romanoff, the Black Widow and Hawkeye, Clint and Natasha. Every since Agent Barton had spared the ex-Russian assassin's life six years ago, you rarely saw one without the other.

When Clint had brought Natasha, no one, not even Phil, who had been the archer's handler for almost three years at the time knew him better than most people, could work out why. There were several rumours going around the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters that the notorious Black Widow had lured the skilled Hawkeye into her web and seduced him, which was why he had spared her, but upon questioning, the only thing Clint had said, regarding the reason why he had made a different call, was '_everybody deserves a second chance'. _He had said this whilst looking directly at Phil, reiterating the same words his handler had told him, when he recruited the assassin of the street.

Unable to find any way Natasha had hypnotised or forced Agent Barton to spare her, an irate Director Fury was left with a very valuable asset in his hands and for Clint's punishment for ignoring order he partnered him with the red haired Russian. Phil remembered the early days, when the two, bickering like children over the coms, would give him huge headaches, as they got used to working as a team. These two individuals, who had been at the top of their profession for years, had very different opinions on how to carry out successful missions.

Then suddenly, after a snowy mission in St Petersburg, something seemed to click and they began to work as a team, quickly becoming one of the most efficient and deadly partnerships S.H.I.E.L.D had. Phil had actually become quite jealous of the growing relationship between the two agents. Until Natasha, the person closest to Clint had been him, but now it was Natasha the archer spent the most time with. Then it hit him, as he approached a clearly upset, worried Clint, keeping a silent vigil next to an unconscious Natasha's bedside in the infirmary, that whilst he and Clint were good friends, Natasha and Clint had something special. It was like they were kindred spirits. Both had had tough lives and now, finally they had someone they could relate to, someone who they could confide in and someone who understood them. Phil had then quietly snuck out of the room, heading towards the main meeting room, to deliver this mission report to Director Fury. It was clear to see that, whilst this mission had been a success, Clint and Natasha were stronger together and more often or not, one of them came back injured from a solo mission.

The two agents had been given a relatively easy mission, a simple take down of a drug lord in Budapest and yet somehow the agents looked like they had fought in a large battle and had gone AWOL for four days, before finally making contact with S.H.I.E.L.D from an abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of Vienna, the capital city of Austria, over 200km away from where their mission had been based. Phil sighed, finally lowering the mission report and turning his attention to Natasha and Clint, who seemed to be exchanging whispers under their breaths. They no longer bickered like children, but acted like an old married couple.

Phil gave a loud cough to get their attention, before giving them one of his _you'd-better-have-a-good-excuse _looks.

'So would you like to tell me what happened in Budapest?' he asked calmly.

Natasha and Clint just looked at each other, before smiling sheepishly.


	6. Natasha and Clint

**Actions speak louder than words...**

**...or five times people tried to work out and speculated upon Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff's relationship and the one time they found out the truth.**

**I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks to everyone who has been reading this little story of mine. I only started it to try and get through the huge writer's block I was having for my other stories. This chapter was only going to be half this length, but then I thought, it would be great to see the rest of the team's reactions. **

**Thank you all once again! :)  
**

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**Clint and Natasha**

Natasha and Clint both remembered their mission in Budapest differently.

She remembered it as a supposedly simple mission, which went horribly wrong. She remembered it as the place where Clint was knocked out early on in the fight, leaving her to try and defend their position without getting them both killed and she also remembered it as the place where Clint, in a concussed state, had suddenly proposed to her.

Clint on the other hand did not really remember much of the mission in Budapest, having been knocked out for most of the mission. But what he did remember was that seeing Natasha's face, framed by her distinctive blood red hair, as he came back around, had given him that final push to propose to her, something he had been trying to do for months.

_'I think we should get married' he whispered_

_'What?'_

_'I think we should get married' he reiterated, though this time a bit louder, whilst reaching up to grab Natasha's outstretched helping hand and pulling himself to his feet._

_'How hard did they hit you?' was Natasha's response as both assassins silently checked each other over for injuries._

_'Tash, I'm being serious, I want you to be my wife' Clint stated looking at Natasha. The fierce Russian, who by the looks of it, had managed to take out all the drug lord's men, was now covered in a mixture of dirt and blood. In Clint's mind she had never looked so beautiful – or sexy, as she stood in front of him, with her hands on her hips, trying to work out if he was being serious, or just playing with her_

_'But why?'_

_'Because I love you, silly' Clint replies walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her tightly and pressing a kiss to the top of her head._

_'Clint, we still haven't completed the mission' Natasha said, trying to half heartedly push her partner away, with little success. _

_'So will you marry me Tash?' Clint asked 'I have a ring and everything... it's just back at headquarters-'_

_Clint was shut up by the fact that Natasha had uncharacteristically launched herself at him, her lips crashing against his and had pulled him into deep passionate kiss._

_'Is that a yes then?'_

_'Perhaps' Natasha replied coyly, a big smile appearing on her face  
_

_'So the mission' Clint said, straightening himself out and trying to get back into the zone_

_'Apparently they knew we were coming, so the guy we are after is not actually here'_

_'Do you know where he is?'_

_'Vienna' Natasha replied with great certainty_

_'And you know this because?'_

_Natasha gave her partner-now-fiancé a look which clearly said are you questioning me? 'It turns out that when a mysterious red haired woman has managed to kill the rest if your team and she's standing in front of you holding a knife, you tell her everything she wants to know' she commented dryly_

_'So how quickly can S.H.I.E.L.D get us the Vienna?' Clint asked_

_'Clint, they scrambled our communications as soon as we entered the factory. I tried to call for back up when you were first knocked out, but I could not get through'_

_'So we're on our own?'_

_'Yes'_

_'Well I guess it makes everything a little more interesting'_

After that the rest of the mission was a bit of a blur to both of them. Somehow, after stealing a car and an old road map off some poor unsuspecting gentleman who fell for Natasha's charms, they ended up getting married in a tiny village church, in the dead of night, after they had stopped to pick up supplies for the long journey. The village was near the Austro-Hungarian border and the light coming from the tiny ancient church had intrigued both of them. Curious, they had approached the church, to find the lone priest finishing the vespers mass and in the spur of the moment, they were alone, standing outside in the rain and the candlelit church looked so inviting, Natasha had asked the priest, in fluent Hungarian, to marry them.

When Clint had asked her about it later, as they climbed back into the car, now armed with various presents from the priest, the new Mrs Barton had turned to her husband and had simply stated '_There was no point waiting' _

Two days later, they were in an abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of the Austria Capital, waiting to be picked up by S.H.I.E.L.D, having finally taken out the drug lord and fixing their communication devices, both vowing to never let anyone know what really happened in Budapest. It was their little secret.

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Steve, Bruce, Thor and Tony all looked from the pancakes Pepper had made them for breakfast at the odd thumping noise which was coming from up stairs. A couple a seconds later, their questions were answered and Tony's mind was removed from the gutter, by the sight of Agent Clint Barton dragging a large, obviously heavy suitcase, down the stairs.

'Clint, I told you to be careful with it' came the voice belonging to an irate Russian, shouting down the stairs.

'You realise Tash we're only going away for a couple of days, not a month' Clint replied, completely oblivious to the fact that the rest of the Avengers, plus Pepper, were listening in on the exchange with great interest. 'I mean, what on earth have you got in here?' he asked 'it weighs a ton!'

'Well I like to be prepared for every eventuality' his partner replied as she sauntered down the stairs.

'Tash, we're going away on holiday, not on a mission'

'Barton, do I have to remind you about what happened the last time we went on something as innocent as a holiday. Does diffusing a bomb in Sharm el Sheikh, ring any bells?'

Clint's response was cut off by the interjection belonging to one of his curious teammates.

'You're going on holiday?' Tony asked incredulously, having previously been under the impression that all the two assassins was work

'Yes' Natasha replied

'Not for a mission?'

'No'

'You're actually going to have a break'

'Yes Stark, I believe that is the definition of a holiday' Natasha replied sarcastically, in no mood to deal with an annoying Tony Stark. 'Clint and I have a couple of days off work, so we thought we would go away for a bit, get out of the city'

'But you're master assassins, you just don't go on holiday because you have a couple of days off, you head down to the training room to practise, why go away _now_?'

Clint looked at Natasha.

Natasha looked at Clint.

Clint raised an eyebrow

Natasha pursed her lips tightly

Clint tilted his head slightly to one side

Natasha scrunched up her nose

Clint shrugged

Natasha brushed a piece of hair away from her face

Clint shrugged again

After a seconds pause, Natasha nodded slowly.

Clint smiled, before reaching out to take Natasha's hand in his and giving it a squeeze. He then, to the amazement of everyone who had been watching the silent conversation, bent down and pressed a kiss to Natasha's cheek.

'Because, Stark, it's our wedding anniversary' Clint explained calmly.

The was a moments silence, before there was an eruption of noise filling the kitchen.

'Congratulations, you two!' Pepper exclaimed, running around from behind the counter to wrap the two assassins in a big hug.

'Yes, many blessings on your marriage, fellow warriors' Thor stated standing up. Thankfully, however, much to Clint and Natasha's relief, he refrained from giving them one of his bone crushing bear hugs.

'So how long have you two been married?' Bruce asked

'Three years' Natasha replied, with a wistful smile.

'Does anyone else know?' Steve asked the couple, thinking that S.H.I.E.L.D might have some rule against relationships between agents.

'No, just you'

'Surely Fury knows, the guy seems to have eyes and ears everywhere

'If he does, he has not made it known to us' Clint answered. 'I think as long as our relationship never affects our work, then he won't bring it up'

'Ha! I knew it!'

All eyes turned to the one member of the team, who had, up until this sudden exclamation, been silent.

'I knew you two were together!'

'No Stark, you thought we were sleeping together' Natasha replied with a glare

'Same difference' the billionaire said, his customary smirk plastered onto his face.

'We must go; we've got a plane to catch' Clint said, holding onto his wife's hand tightly and preventing her from attacking Tony Stark.

'Where are you going?' Steve asked, curious to know where assassins went on holiday

Clint and Natasha just looked at each other with a smile.

'Budapest'


End file.
